A year after shooting, Sen. Jeff Flake says his gun views have shifted

By KTAR.com | June 14, 2018 at 5:00 amUPDATED: June 14, 2018 at 8:25 am

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. walks toward media gathered at the scene of a shooting at a baseball field in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday, June 14, 2017, during a Congressional baseball practice where House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of La. was shot. (AP Photo/Kevin S. Vineys)

PHOENIX — A year after seeing a colleague get shot during a congressional baseball practice, U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) acknowledged the incident impacted his views on gun control.

“It’s moved me,” Flake told the Associated Press.

The Arizona Republican said he now supports restrictions on high-capacity magazines, for instance, “but that hasn’t come up” in debate.

Still, “there’s been a shift” for him personally, he said.

There may not be any more chances for Flake to express his changed views in a Senate vote. He’s in the final year of his term and isn’t running for re-election.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana suffered life-threatening injuries on June 14, 2017, after a gunman opened fire on the Republican team while it was practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game.